The Visitor

The Visitor, Thomas McCarthy’s follow-up to The Station Agent, certainly proves that the filmmaker’s ability in creating authentic, wholly fascinating characters was anything but a fluke, as the movie is (if nothing else) rife with compelling figures that ultimately sustain the viewer’s interest even through a few less-than-subtle moments. The story, which follows an emotionally closed-off professor (Richard Jenkins’ Walter Vale) as he experiences an awakening after befriending a pair of illegal immigrants, unfolds at an appropriately deliberate pace, with McCarthy slowly doling out key bits of information and backstory about each of the central characters. It’s a free-wheeling sort of structure that certainly works; Jenkins, a recognizable character actor, delivers what must be the performance of his career, and the actor does a superb job of transforming Walter into a compelling (and ultimately) surprisingly relatable figure. There’s does reach a point, however, at which McCarthy starts to place more of an emphasis on plot than one might’ve liked, and it’s ultimately clear that The Visitor‘s third act isn’t quite as effective as everything that’s preceded it. Far more problematic is McCarthy’s heavy-handed treatment of an admittedly topical subject; the director’s agenda becomes increasingly overt as the movie progresses, ensuring that one can’t help but wish that he had just maintained the breezy tone of the movie’s first hour. Still, buoyed by Jenkins’ eye-opening performance, The Visitor is a worthy second effort from an exceedingly promising filmmaker (and, let’s face it, there’s virtually no way he was going to top the sublime Station Agent).

*** out of ****